American Idol Top 3

This is it, after thousands of auditions, and weeks of competing, we have the Top 3 contestants set for the American Idol season 17 finale taking place Sunday, May 19.

Alejandro Aranda, Madison Vandenburg, and Laine Hardy will compete for the American Idol title. To say this has been an interesting season is an understatement, because it’s been wild. When the auditions started we knew a guy would win the competition and we still think that, let us explain…

Madison Vandenburg, the 17-year old from New York wowed the judges and America during her audition with powerhouse vocal. Social media and music critics have even named her the next Kelly Clarkson, we agree. She has shown a lot of growth throughout the weeks of competition, but sometimes she does seem afraid of taking risks. Can she take the title? Yes, super talented, but she will probably come in third place, unless she steps out of her comfort zone and shows a little bit of sass and grit, that will have viewers hooked and intrigued.

Laine Hardy, the 18-year old from Livingston, LA wasn’t supposed to audition for this season, but during his friend’s audition the judges teased him with a golden ticket and the rest is history. Week after week of competition he’s stunned the judges and viewers with energetic, feel-good performances. Luke Bryan, and Katy Perry seem to be hitting the bullseye when they said a couple of weeks ago that he could be the winner. Yes, he can definitely win, but our only concern is, will the music audience that doesn’t watch American Idol buy his music? He’s built a persona and sound that is perfect for the 50’s / 60’s, it works for him but will the audience buy it. We’re trying to figure it out and it is baffling us quite a bit.

Alejandro Aranda, the 24 year-old singer-songwriter had the judges intrigued from his audition, weeks past and he became beloved by America and the music industry. Let’s be honest, Alejandro is not the best singer (he’s said that before), but he is a talented storyteller. He auditioned with an original song and has performed a couple throughout the competition. He’s got charisma, he’s shy but it’s relatable, the audience is connected with him, which is what any artist needs to have in order to have a successful career. If it was up to us, Alejandro would win the competition and at this stage in the competition, he could win it. A couple of weeks back, Katy Perry said it would be interesting how American Idol would change when he is announced as the winner. Interesting, indeed, Alejandro is a phenomenal singer-songwriter, he grabs your attention and doesn’t let go.

Three talented individuals that deserve to be in the finale, how will America vote? Find out Sunday, May 19 on ABC.